The baby is still sleeping but John’s 4 year old son is up, interrogating Dad while he quickly and quietly shaves. Mom is dozing for a few more minutes before she once again becomes Nurse and Warden for the day. John fries up some eggs for everybody, but like usual he has to depart too soon to share the first meal. The truck fires up with a bang and a cough, echoing between his house and his neighbours. The work day has officially begun but so has the countdown. From shaving, to playing chef, and before shifting into Drive, John has been sifting through notes, triaging tasks, planning the day’s follow-ups, sending texts and emails, and pricing out new jobs while scoping out materials. There is only one block of time between home and the morning’s job site. And there is only one route and one chance to gather the materials and workers needed to make today a success. Like most independent carpenters, John has seconds, not minutes, to process, record and act on time-sensitive information. And once work starts, business administration must be paused. So for guys like John, the morning really really matters. When evening comes, all kinds of family obligations take centre stage and it isn’t until 11pm or so until he can get some admin work done. By then, as we all know, the eyelids weigh heavy and the pillow beckons. Being an independent business operator ain’t easy and for solo Tradesmen, there is no time remaining in the day to sit down at a desk or crack open a laptop. The bathroom counter, the kitchen counter, the hood of the truck and the coffee shop lineup are each the office where John’s accounting, hiring and forecasting occur. In each town there are many John’s competing for customers and good crew members. Advantage comes from a few places, but it’s always financial management and financial forecasting that underpin a company’s ongoing success. John is John, but John is also a company. And that means he needs every edge he can get. If the edge isn’t gained at the personal computer, that means these days it must be fully inside his phone. If it’s a tool that will last like his boots or hammer, it can’t have any gimmicks and it can’t require minutes to complete basic tasks. Between putting the bread down and toast popping up, owners like John need to get things done. Workpads is made for this moment.